Survey reveals importance of battery life to phone buyers

What is more important to purchasers of a new mobile phone - a large screen, fast processor or perhaps 4G capabilities? It's none of the above, according to a new study carried out by GMI, a Lightspeed Research Company. Phone buyers rate battery life as the most important feature.

In a study carried out among Brits, the vast majority (89%) cited battery life as an important criteria when deciding what phone to purchase next. For 70% it was an important consideration when purchasing their current device.

According to Ralph Risk, marketing director EMEA at GMI, the importance put on battery life may come as a surprise to many.

"Drilling further into our data helps to understand how much impact battery life has on the everyday use of a mobile phone - the majority of people have to recharge their phone at least once per day and a significant number regularly run out of battery whilst using their phone," said Risk. "A strong reliable battery life is definitely still a focus both for consumers and for manufacturers who are constantly working on improving the autonomy of their devices."

In terms of gender, men were more likely to rate features such as a large screen more important and women focused on having a high quality camera or a device made by a well known brand.